Decollate snail

Stump worm ( Rumina decollata ( Linnaeus, 1758) )

The stump snail ( Rumina decollata ) is one of two European species of the species and the species rich -based almost exclusively in the tropics and subtropics family of Ahlen snails ( Subulidae ). The stump worm got its ( type ) name because it yields the highest parts of the housing in old age.

Features

The case is slim and tapered with many whorls. Max 8-9 whorls are formed, then the top part of the case to be dropped. The gap is closed from the inside again. The adult animal only has (yet) about 3 to 6 whorls. The case is therefore only max. 40 mm high. The whorls are usually slightly arched, the seams thus not very deep. The outer line is even slightly concave at the young, not yet truncated animals. The color is brownish to cream-colored and shiny. The surface is only weakly ornamented with growth lines and intersecting spiral strips. The aperture is ovate with simple edges, rarely with thickened edges.

Occurrence and life

The stump snail is widely distributed in the Mediterranean region (Southern Europe, North Africa, West Asia) and almost always occurs near the coast. She lives in dry, open habitats on stones in the Badlands or bushes on mostly calcareous soils. In southwestern France, it penetrates to the Garonne. Meanwhile, the species is abducted almost worldwide. In the Gulf states of the USA it is the most common worm in some areas and may affect the populations of other, smaller snails. The animals are hermaphrodites, the mutually supportive, but also self-fertilization with partner deficiency occurs. You create very large, up to 2 mm in diameter reaching eggs with a solid calcareous shell. The life expectancy is about 1 1/2 years, during which about 200 to 500 eggs are laid. They primarily eat the nests of other gastropods, and other smaller snails (especially slugs ) and worms. Therefore, they are already used for the biological control of unwanted snails in the garden. But even decaying plant material and living plants were eaten under laboratory conditions.